“I was very upset,” White’s brother Alexander Slade said. “I was upset for the rest of the night. I was up all night. I couldn’t’ get back to sleep.”

Crews were first called out Tuesday night when flames were shooting from the home on Highway 45 between Colerain and Merry Hill. White, 80, was found dead inside. An autopsy revealed she had been stabbed before the fire.

“She was a mentor, mother of the church and served the community,” Slade added. “She did everything she could for everybody. I was just tore up to hear [what happened].”

Thursday, the house was the sight of an active investigation. Investigators were still combing through the charred home looking for clues. The Bertie County Sheriff’s Office is getting help from the State Bureau of Investigation.

“[She was] lovable,” Slade said. “That’s all, always was lovable she always wanted to cook for you. You never left hungry.”